DMPS & Early Literacy Intervention
Legislation (ELI) Questions
What will be the principal’s role in providing this information to staff on the school-directed pre-service day?
The principal and coach should work together to provide training. DMPS will provide a PowerPoint and anIowa TIER/FAST resource packet that can be used with staff based on the information provided at the AEA/DE summer training sessions. The curriculum team will introduce this PowerPoint at the August 4th Teaching and Learning meetingin order to support the delivery of this message to staff on the pre-service day. Continuous calendar schools will have a district representative available to lead this training session in July.
The legislation requires changes in universal screening requirements for K-3. What is the plan for incorporating the Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST) in grades 2 and 3 in compliance with the legislation?
DMPS will move forward withimplementing the FAST universal screening in grade 2 and grade 3 in 2015-2016. DMPS will also expand to using the required progress monitoring assessments at that time. Teachers in grades 2-3 will receive training then. The progress monitoring probes are available in FAST now, so teachersCAN begin to use them with students who receive intervention during the 2014-2015 school year. The district will provide more guidance on how to use the progress monitoring probes during our implementation training for 2015-2016.
The law states that students with a substantial reading deficiency must receive 90 minutes a day of scientific, research based reading instruction. Does Journeys work for this?
Yes, the instruction based on the Journeys materials is considered scientific, research based reading instruction.
Do we need to create a “Notice to Parents” based on the ELI legislation requirements?
No, DMPS will supply templates for schools to use when communicating with parents regarding this information.
What are the implications for third grade retention and the summer reading program?
This portion of the legislation goes into effect in 2017. DMPSis working to create a plan for this provision.
How are the progress monitoring probes in FAST different from the progress monitoring that SPED does according to IEPs?
SPED will work to include the FAST progress monitoring probes as IEPs are updated. All SPED data will eventually be housed in TIER.
Who will be assigned to the specific roles in TIER?
Universal Screener- none at this time
Teacher- Kindergarten and 1st Grade classroom (homeroom) teachers
Site User- Principal, all other certified staff involved in assessment
Internal Coach- Instructional Coach(es) and District Literacy Coordinator
How will aReading be used in DMPS?
In 2014-2015 DMPS will not require schools to use aReading as a screener, however, this will be provided as an option for schools. Its use in 2015-2016 will be reviewed based upon feedback from trial use.
Team Planning Time
When will teachers receive training?
Schools will schedulea three hour session on a school-directed pre-service day.
Traditional calendar schools- August 15 or 19
Edmunds/Downtown- August 8 or 12
Continuous calendar schools- July 11 or 15 (*You have already scheduled this date and time with Liz Griesel)
Who will need to be trained?
Classroom teachers, support teachers, and any teachers that help with assessments should be in attendance at this training. Discuss and decide who will need to be invited to this session in the Fall. The curriculum department will provide a PowerPoint and anIowa TIER/FAST resource packet for teachers to support this training. The curriculum department will also order and deliver to your building additional student assessment materials, similar to the binders that you received today.
When will staff set up their A&A accounts?
Staff should set up their A&A account during the pre-service training sessions. Specific directions and a guidance document will be provided to help teachers set up these accounts.
What will be our support chain for troubleshooting and handling questions within our school?
The principal and instructional coach/school representative that is at the AEA/DE training should be the first layer of support for troubleshooting at the school. Carlene Lodermeier (AEA) and Liz Griesel (District Literacy Coordinator) will act as additional support.
Who will be our Internal Coach (1-2 people per building)?
This role will be assigned to the instructional coach(es) at each building, as well as the district literacy coordinator.
How will we schedule Universal Screening at our school? Will we use aReading? If so, how will we schedule enough computers (or a lab) for aReading administration?
Discuss as a team and devise a schedule for universal screening in the Fall. For K-1, teachers will be required to administer the earlyReading subtests as detailed in the 2014-2015 FAST Assessment Plan. A computer lab is not necessary for this assessment; the assessment will need to be administered one-on-one in a quiet space. aReading and CBMreading are available for use through Iowa TIER; DMPS will not require implementation of these assessments at this time.